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COORDINATORS: Lori Rastelli & Colin Williamson ADVISORS: Deborah Grossmith, Lori Rastelli & Colin Williamson

WHAT A YEAR IT HAS BEEN!!!

Greetings!!! It is with great pleasure that we share our learning

accomplishments, memories and gratitude from the 2016-2017 Peer

Leadership experience! Peer Leadership develops the leadership skills of

high school seniors while teaching them to provide outreach for freshmen

that focus on: building relationships, fostering collaboration, increasing

self-confidence, developing problem solving skills and acquiring decision

making strategies. To that end, Peer Leadership seeks to achieve three

outcomes: improved communication with our peers, teachers and families

with an appreciation for people from different backgrounds; increased

confidence in fulfilling academic and social responsibilities; enhanced

leadership skills and the ability to identify and solve problems. Peer

Leadership is a significant responsibility and opportunity for all who

participate. An essential part of this program includes improving self-

awareness so that as individuals we may lead the best life and as a

community we may reach our highest potential. We hope you enjoy

learning more about this program that has become such an integral part of

our lives and school.

Deborah Grossmith, Lori Rastelli and Colin Williamson

Somerville High School

Peer Leadership Press

2016-2017

June 2017

Inside This Issue…

8th Grade Mixer…3

Summer Retreat…4-7

Five Stages of Group

Formation…8

Freshmen Application &

Draft…9

What is Breakout All

About?...10-11

Haunted High School…12

Middle Earth Outreach…13

Green Dot Training…14

Red Ribbon Day…15-16

BCMS Skits…16-17

Winter Retreat…18-19

Freshmen Field Day...19-20

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2016-2017 Peer Leaders

Period 5 – Mr. Williamson

Charles Chirackal, Katelyn Haenny & Claire Marshak

Sarah Coulson & Nicole Zangara

Tyler Garcia & Grace Gioia

Kaitlin Glick & Kayla Vuoso

Matthew Nekoui & Beatriz Tomale

Matthew Mineo & Paige Morgan

Meredith Kolodney & Joshua Nemeth

Period 6 – Mrs. Rastelli

AJ Akins & Elaina Murnane

Meghan Crum & Zach Guberer

Luke Genise & Eden Zaleski

Scott Hand & Emily Helm

Kaeley Ipson & Robert McTernan

Sean Kunz & Maddie Spolarich

Annabelle Madamba & Natalie Tews

Brendan Marino & Olivia Markowski

Period 7 – Mrs. Grossmith

Michael Richardson & Alexis Ciarletta

Kyle McCormick & Emily Quick

Jason Curau & Emily Antico

Juan Galindo & Lila Tiner

Maranda Kania & Kim Ferrara

Matt Monaco & Kelcey Sheeley

James Liu & Katie Hegadorn

Tyler Leeds & Taylor Geiger

A Look Into the Program…

Our official program year begins as the summer retreat where, with the assistance of leadership guides from

East Stroudsburg University, we lay the foundation for training a new group of student leaders. The students

arrive at Stony Acres facility with more questions than answers but soon learn how to work cohesively together

to form single unit through teambuilding exercises. The most exciting part of the Peer Leadership program is

witnessing the amazing transformation our Peer Leaders undergo throughout the course of the year. All of

the uncertainties and inhibitions they possess at the beginning are cultivated into stronger interpersonal,

collaboration, problem solving and leadership skills. Their confidence and self-awareness is magnified

throughout this maturation. We find as Program Advisors, we also experience learning by engaging with our

students and seeing the world through their eyes. They hold the key to success in coping with life as an

adolescent in today’s world. No one understands the challenges of being a youth better than they do. Having

this knowledge is essential to provide an effective transitional program for the freshmen student body. We

learn and grow together as a team.

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Mixing it Up at SHS By: Scott Hand, Meghan Crum, Emily Helm, AJ Akins

The annual mixer for the incoming freshmen of Somerville High School took place on June 8th,

2017. It was a fun-filled day for the kids as they met the people that they would be spending their next four years of high school with. The purpose of the day was to mesh the two populations of Somerville and Branchburg in preparation for the time they would be spending together at Somerville High School, and you could see the excitement on every eighth grader’s face as they got off of the bus and walked through the field house gates. The students were divided into groups and assigned to the Peer Leaders of 2017 and 2018 and a member of the cultural diversity club, and then were off to the track. Icebreaker activities were conducted by the Peer Leaders all around the track, and included games like the name game, the human knot, “I like people who” and many others. Once everyone was comfortable in their groups and got to know each other, the kids were directed into the auditorium. Inside, the incoming freshmen sat in their groups with their leaders and watched a skit presentation from Dr. Michael "Mykee" Fowlin. Dr. Fowlin put on an inspiring presentation about accepting diversity and understanding the fact that everyone is different and nobody knows what someone else had been through. At the conclusion of the presentation, each group headed back out to the track for discussion and lunch. Ice cream and water was provided to everyone on the beautiful day. After lunch, everyone had the chance to play more games and mix a bit more, with some neighboring groups conjoining so that the kids could make even more friends.

As it came to the end of the school day, the eighth graders went inside to listen to a few pieces that the band and chorus had put together. There were performances by the Chamber Choir, Men’s Chorus, and Jazz Band, and Mrs. Gorzynski and Mr. Krempasky explained the benefits of joining the music department at SHS. Speeches were given as well from a few of the key administration members at the high school, such as Mr. Mulligan, Director of Guidance, Kyle Franey, Athletic Director, Mr. Foley, Principal, and Mrs. DePace, Curriculum Supervisor. Then the students filed into the courtyard for information about the huge list of extracurricular activities they were eligible to sign up for. The whole point of this event is for the incoming freshmen from both Somerville Middle School and Branchburg Central Middle School to get a small taste of the high school and to meet and interact with the students they will spent the next four years with, and it was a complete success.

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Peer Leadership Summer Retreat

When we first arrived at the retreat, we were excited about our newly held leadership positions. Most of us had leadership positions prior but we did not know what to expect. We got into the groove of working together through a couple of ice breakers. We had not seen each other throughout the summer so we had to learn to trust each other quickly. Later on in the day, our trust in one another was continually challenged through many different activities.

Ropes and Challenge Course By: Matt Mineo and Matthew Nekoui

The first major event in the Peer Leadership program comes in the form of the Peer Leadership Summer Retreat. The rising seniors who have been selected as peer leaders all take part in this overnight, team-building retreat, during which the foundation for the Peer Leadership program is set. This retreat is significant because it is during this time, the seniors learn what class period they are in, select who their co-leader will be, and take part in many team building activities. One of the most memorable and enjoyable activities was the Ropes and Challenge Course.

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The Ropes and Challenge Course consisted of a series of tasks created in order to strengthen and emphasize teamwork and communication among all the seniors. Some of these activities included climbing a wall, climbing a ladder created by large logs suspended between two trees, tight- rope walking, and even zip lining from one tree to another. Not only were these activities difficult, but they were also very fun. The course as a whole taught the seniors to work as a team and

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motivate one another to complete the challenges. These challenges really helped the seniors to communicate and become comfortable with each other as a group. The lessons learned from the Ropes and Challenge Course were very important for the new peer leaders, as they would teach these skills to the incoming freshmen through the next year. As peer leaders, these seniors work with the freshmen to teach them how to deal with issues they may run into during high school. With the skills gained through the Ropes and Challenge Course, the new peer leaders will help the incoming freshmen to form the same type of bond within their group of peers, allowing them to make an easy, enjoyable transition into high school.

Share My Bag By: Sarah Coulson and Ni